Britishvolt to power 150 jobs with £200m Hams Hall investment

Fast-growing battery technology firm Britishvolt is set to base its UK battery scale up facilities in the West Midlands following a £200m investment with its partner Prologis.

The move will anchor operations in the region, whilst creating and sustaining a minimum of 150 highly skilled and well-paid technology jobs.

The new facilities, based at Prologis Park Hams Hall will be net-zero carbon in construction and achieve an EPC A rating in operation. It aims to become a “centre of excellence” for electrification.

Leasing the facility enables Coventry-based Britishvolt to increase production and manufacture larger volumes at its Northumberland Gigaplant.

Paul Franklin, the property director at Britishvolt said: “This is another important milestone for Britishvolt, UK plc and its world class automotive industry. The UK’s battery ecosystem is a global leader in integrated technology development and industrialisation with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

“I am delighted to see Britishvolt lead the UK’s journey into re-industrialisation with the first full-scale battery Gigaplant. The new scale-up facilities announced today will help the UK build on its home-grown battery intellectual property and level up the country ready for the energy transition.”

The practical completion of Hams Hall is anticipated in July with fit out and equipment installation to be undertaken through to end Q3, 2023.

Tom Price the capital leasing & deployment director at Prologis UK said: “Partnering with innovative technology brand Britishvolt has been a pleasure. The reputation of Hams Hall and the location’s connections to the UK automotive sector has allowed us to embark on a wider conversation with Britishvolt. With battery technology seen as the way forward, it’s exciting to be working in this growing sector.

“Prologis is committed to embedding sustainability into every aspect of our business. When looking at “last-mile” logistics, that is the final delivery of goods to people’s homes, it’s clear that the work Britishvolt are embarking on will contribute to reducing emissions in supply chains.”

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands said: “Britishvolt’s investment in the West Midlands is another seismic vote of confidence both in the future of our region and our automotive prowess.

“We are already the heartland of the UK’s automotive industry with the country’s biggest car manufacturer, Europe’s largest research centre of its kind, the UK’s only battery industrialisation centre, and a world-leading supply chain.

“So, it is incredibly exciting that as we accelerate our Gigafactory plans for Coventry Airport, Britishvolt are adding their expertise to our cluster”.

Britishvolt has already developed pre-A battery samples at WMG in Warwick and is scaling up its unique A-Sample cell formulations at UK Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry.

The company has already confirmed MoUs with Lotus Cars and Aston Martin Lagonda, which, alongside other commitments to be announced shortly, have cumulative demand in excess of 7GWh in 2024 and 2025, and set the stage for the full 38GWh factory capacity that will be supplied annually from its Gigaplant site in Northumberland.

The release of an official A-sample battery cell to customers is scheduled later this year.